Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-30
YVETLETOyS TYPEWRITER.
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never account for They could never
understand how | got an introduction
TO lwistleton, Q. c., nor why that
learned gentleman, after allowing me
to devil his work for him for ten years
without putting anything in my way,
suddenly used every effort and inau.
.ence he was capable OF 10 put an impor-
tant and valuable junior practice in my
hands.
Twistlcton, Q. c., was hard, selfish
man. In person he was like badly
dried moth, whose long. old-fashioned
whiskcrs rcsemblcd the remains of
wings. II was of him that Il was
originally said that he was the living
representative of tenant in tail after
possibility Of issue extinct; and there
was consequently great surprise when
Twistleton married Lwcy 1'rayers, who,
rs YOU will remember, was the belle OF
her season. But the Traverses were
not so well off rs they pretended to be,
and TwiStlet0n. as we All know, made
his fifteen thousand a year. and had, II
anything, an ever-increasing practice
in the Chancery division.
Twistleton was undoubtedly great
lawyer and a man Of great common
sense, but he had two fads. He was q
believer in ghosts and he wrote every
thing in his chambers upon type
writer.
Twistleton and his wife were staying
one June in Norfolk at Lady Barn
dore's. Twistleton was due in town TO
argue the great patent case concerning
sewing-machines of Buncombe and an
other against Badger in the Court of
Appeal on Wednesday morning. ex-
pected him back in chambers on the
Monday evening, understanding that
he intended rejoinining his wife at the
end of the week; for this case would
last at least three days, and Twistleton
was In several other cases on the list.
Mbout 3 O'Clock on Monday evening
/ Iad dined early at my club, and was
engaged noting up Twistleton's pa
pdrs. when he came in with his Glad
stone bag and rug, looking, as l
bought. tired and ont Ofspirits. When
UMistleton was in town by himself he
always slept at his own chamber, as III
tlk old DAYS before he was married,
and his breakfast "a chop and two
eggs was sent from the Cock. "
Twistleton. having heard what Foss.
his clerk, had to say on the subject Of
retainers, dismissed him. Then he
Slammed down the windows, which |
had opened to let in what fresh air there
y as in Old Square, carefully closed the
por, let himself into the hard chair in
Mont of his writing-table, and idly
leaned over the papers which were be-
fore him. At length the outer door
was heard TO close. FOss had departed,
and Twistleton broke silence.
"Penrose, my dear fellow, I'm I'M
comfortable.
Twistleton, I may here remark, was
ALWAYS on the best Of terms with me,
and treated me as a friend, for | believe
| was useful TO him. | had made great
way in his affections Ivy solemnly ad-
yising him to marry Miss Travers when
| saw he was bent on doing 50 but,
since his marriage, | am not sure that
this course of conduct of mine had been
altogether to my advantage. | looked
to him for further explanation, which
saw was coming.
"Penrose, my dear fellow, who do
YOU think is at Lady BarndOre's?
shook my head. being entirely in
ignorance.
"Charley ColstOn, replied Twistle-
ton, trying to carve his whiskers with
the paper-knife. Charley Colston.
Poor Charley Colston 1t was well
known that he had paid his addresses
to bretty Mrs. Twistleton in former
day}. and report said she had encour
aged them. No wonder Twistleton was
excited. | knew him to be OF an ex-
tremely jealous nature.
"Now mark me, Penrose," said
Twistleton, shaking his foretingeratme,
as he would at Lord Usher in the APP
peal Court. "what took place yester-
day when was playing tennis ? The
whole time, sir, he and she were talk
ing and chatting together, and laugh
ing-yes, laughing Perhaps at my
play, for / played abominably ; | know
1t. | could not bear to see them"
Twistleton's tennis was never first
rate. He had begun to play too late IN
life. He was an annoying partner, as
he always insisted on leading, taking all
the difficult strokes, and failing at
them. He was still more objectiona-
BILE opponent, as he was always taking
technical objections on points OF prac-
tiee. Still. however badly one plays,
it is not pleasant to be laughed at even
by ones wife. l tried to soothe Twis-
Itieton, but he interrupted me.
"Now, there is another point L de-
sra to urge" Twistleton always spoke
as though he was addressing the Court
of Appeal. "When / asked my wife
to come back to-day she point blank re-
fused. What do you think of that ?
"Nothing whatever" L answered.
"She had arranged to stay, and you
are going down on Saturday again.
think YOU are making mountains out OF
molehills.
81 hope l am, Penrose / hope |
am" replied Twistleton mournfully !;
s.,but you didn't see them did and
1wistleton sighed deeply.
Then the subject dropped and We got
to work on small case. Soon Twistle-
ton. with self-complacent smile on his
countenance, was playing an opinion on
his typewriter. 1t Vas to him, be-
lieve. as though each note he struck
produced deep, mellowtone, and nota
capital or small Roman. lean remem-
Der when Twistleton first had his
typewriter. In those days he used to
sit at it for hours, practicing; hitting
first one note and then the other, at in-
tervals varying between ten seconds and
two or three minutes, every now and
then using the most horrible language,
as he put capital for a small Roman
or missed space. Then his efforts
looked as though they were the pro
auctions of six drunken printers who
had each taken an absent COM
rade's work for the day and they were
always copied before they went to CHI
ents. Now the machine went click,
click, click, evenly and merrily. Twis-
LtIefkn was a perfect master OF it. | had
seet him write with it with his eyes
>Iiint. / have no doubt that if he coald
have stood on his head, and if it had
been consonant with the dignity OF a